VinePair Podcast

With the holiday season in full swing, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether magnums (1.5 liter bottles of wine) are really such a great option for dinner parties and other gatherings, or if perhaps they're more trouble than they're worth. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, com...

In response to a recent San Francisco Chronicle piece about wineries in Napa and Sonoma no longer allowing minors, Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore why those regions have gotten much less kid-friendly, and whether parents should be able to bring their children along with them wherever they want. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or where...

With December here and "all Christmas, all the time" in full force, Adam, Joanna, and Zach look at the remarkable success of Christmas-themed bar pop-ups and takeovers, with a particular focus on the incredibly popular and widely franchised (and copied) "Miracle." Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and...

Zach is joined once again by master sommelier Evan Goldstein to discuss the wines of Portugal's Alentejo region. After previously outlining the region and highlighting how it is a leading region for sustainability , the two examine the potential for these wines at the holiday table or as a seasonal gift, as well as exploring what the future might look like for the region. Please remember to subscr...

With the recent announcement from the TTB that they will be issuing guidelines for ingredient labeling for beverage alcohol in the near future, Adam, Joanna, and Zach dive into how this might affect the industry: what types of products will be most affected, which producers will be hurt or helped, and will this meaningfully change consumer behavior. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and revie...

With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, Adam, Joanna, and Zach chat about a few things they're thankful for in the world of drinks this year, and then discuss what gifts they're hoping to receive (or self-gift) this holiday season. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments,...

To prepare for Thanksgiving, Adam, Joanna, and Zach chat about their own holiday traditions, as well as explore why despite how Thanksgiving definitely feels like a drinking holiday, it lacks an obvious drink to call its own. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critique...

With the holiday season around the corner, Adam, Joanna, and Zach wonder why no one really drinks dessert wines here in the US. Is it the sweetness, the confusing nature, or just the fact that we Americans tend to eat fast and move on to other things. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any que...

As the US Dollar has reached parity with the Euro over the last few months, American consumers have wondered whether they might see friendly prices on European wines and spirits. Adam, Joanna, and Zach chat about Adam and Joanna's time at Wine2Wine in Verona, Italy, and then discuss how the current state of affairs might not alter prices much, and why perhaps the best thing to do is instead to pla...

In the wake of Gruppo Campari acquiring a 70% stake in Wilderness Trail , Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore why the bourbon market remains red-hot, why the primacy of Kentucky remains unchallenged, and speculate on which distillery will be the next to sell. Then, they taste the Small Batch Bottled in Bond from Wilderness Trail. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podca...

Zach explores one of France's most exciting up-and-coming wine regions, Costières de Nîmes, with Nicolas Ricombe, owner of Château de Valcombe . Topics include the ways in which the combination of classic Rhône Valley soils and Mediterranean influence create a unique growing region, the preponderance of younger winemakers with international experience, and the most exciting red and white vari...

With much of the economic world projecting a recession in the near future, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss how previous recessions have impacted the drinks industry, and whether a recession would actually eat into the premiumization trend or not. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions...

After touching on it last week , Adam, Joanna, and Zach are forced to discuss the apparently-real trend of the vodka water : who actually enjoys this drink, what purpose does it serve, and is it almost admirable in its lack of pretension? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comme...

As pop-ups and bar takeovers become more and more popular, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether they actually do much for drinks lovers, and if not, why so many famous (or aspiring) bars go down that path. Sure, you can take a drink around the world, but can you take the experience of a beloved, iconic cocktail bar? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Sp...

To prepare for Halloween, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss some of the scariest trends in drinks right now, from charcoal in your drinks and the Frankenstein-tini to iPad wine lists and the vodka water . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to pod...

Adam and Joanna speak with Stevie Kim, Managing Director of VinItaly International, about the upcoming Wine2Wine conference in Verona, Italy: what the return to a fully in-person format will look like, some additions that Stevie is excited about, as well as her own journey in the Italian wine world. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or...

Prompted by a listening question (podcast@vinepair.com!), Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether cocktails, particularly stirred drinks served up, are smaller in volume than they used to be: whether that's even true, and if so, why. Plus, a conversation around mini-sized cocktails and whether they serve any purpose. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spot...

With the 2022 VinePair Next Wave Awards announced, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the stories and importance of a few of the winners, like Bar Program of the Year ( Double Chicken Please ), Advocate of the Year ( Tahiirah Habibi ), and Brewery of the Year ( Athletic Brewing Co. ). Then, they taste products from three more winners: Hirsch Vineyards , Lunar Hard Seltzer , and Tequila Fortaleza . Ple...

With backlash against " funky wines " coming from within the natural wine movement, Adam, Joanna, and Zach take a well-earned victory lap for having foreseen this exact moment , then talk about why some of natural wine's most important advocates and influencers are pushing back against "funky." Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wher...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach have a bit of fun discussing the ubiquitous habit of champion athletes to douse their teammates or selves with Champagne, beer, or other drinks immediately after winning a title, as well as how alcohol brands have seized upon these moments to do a bit of self-promotion. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherev...

Zach speaks with master distiller Conor O'Driscoll and brand ambassador Bernie Lubbers from Heaven Hill Distillery about their Seven-Year Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon : what the bottled-in-bond label means , why this whiskey is special, and how best to enjoy it. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send a...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach chat about how craft beer is slowly moving back towards the 12-ounce can , and explore why craft glommed on to the 16-ounce tallboy despite the fact that it makes for an inferior drinking experience. Plus, a brief discussion on the recently-released World's 50 Best Bars list. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or...

In light of the death of Fred Franzia , founder of Bronco Wine Company and the man responsible for bringing " Two-Buck Chuck " to the masses, Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about the challenges the wine industry has with the notion of "gateway wines," and whether those who dismiss their importance are not reflective of most people's wine journey. Then, the team each tries one of their gateway wines....

Adam, Joanna, and Zach contemplate a recently-released "diet vodka," and how the newest entries in the no/low alcohol category are less and less appealing. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and b...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what the future holds for Bourbon, including whether dessert-influenced bottles will grow in popularity and scale, as well as if the ever-increasing number of single-barrel bottlings and other limited releases will continue to draw customer and collector attention. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whe...